


just close your eyes

by cherryraindrops



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Fake AH Crew, Fluff, M/M, Sharing a Bed, gta verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-07 05:51:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15902169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryraindrops/pseuds/cherryraindrops
Summary: Five times Jeremy and Ryan shared a bed, and the one time they didn't.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to my tumblr (cherryraindrops). Each of these were individual drabbles I formed into a story, and there will be an epilogue to follow! For now, just enjoy my entry into jeremwood/battle buddies :)

1.

Ryan is no stranger to the sound of people screaming. 

He remembers the screaming as his childhood home was burnt to the ground, being pulled from the wreckage while desperately begging for someone,  _anyone,_ to go back in and save his family. The screams of the people he’s tortured, either for information or just for the hell of it. They keep him awake at night, haunt him and leave him wondering if he’ll ever forget the sound. 

What he doesn’t expect, however, is to hear Jeremy Dooley screaming from the next room, the sound echoing through the walls of the safe house the two of them are currently occupying. If the others were there, Ryan was sure Jack would be comforting him right now, her motherly instincts kicking in to assure Jeremy that everything was alright, nightmares were normal with them. 

But Jack wasn’t here, and the icy feeling in Ryan’s heart as he hears his friend’s screams won’t fade. Jeremy might be brave, tough as nails when it comes to heists or even face to face with rival crews, but that didn’t mean he was completely fearless. 

Without a second thought, Ryan tears the covers back and heads to the other room. The screams get louder when he throws the door open, Jeremy’s cries ringing in his ears as he takes a step forward, only to stop when he hears his name leave Jeremy’s mouth. 

“Ryan!” Jeremy cries out, his head trashing against his pillow while his hands grasp grip the sheets tightly. There are tears streaming down his face, piercing Ryan’s heart. “Please, don’t let them get me!”

He’s at his side in an instant, crouching down beside the bed and reaching forward to gently touch Jeremy’s wet cheek. Jeremy’s beard scratches against the palm of Ryan’s hand, calloused fingers softly touching the apple of his cheek. 

“Hey,” Ryan whispers softly, soothingly, shaking Jeremy’s shoulder with his free hand. “Jeremy, you’re dreaming, it’s okay, I’m here.”

Jeremy’s eyes flutter open, hazel meeting blue as he adjusts to the dark of his bedroom. It takes him a moment to recognize Ryan’s face, the panic dissipating as he takes in Ryan’s concern and deeply sighs. “Ryan,” he whispers softly, a little surprised at the man’s presence in his bedroom. “You’re here.” 

Ryan nods, his thumb softly stroking Jeremy’s cheek. “It was just a bad dream, J.” He uses his other hand to rub assuring circles into Jeremy’s shoulder, hoping to ease the heavy breathing Jeremy was experiencing. He hopes Jeremy knows that he’ll always be there, Jeremy was safe, there was no one here to take Jeremy away. Not on Ryan’s watch.  

"I dreamed you were shot,” Jeremy shudders, trying to catch his breath. “T-The cops were on us, they pinned us, and they got to you.”

Ryan ignores the pain in his shoulder from the gun shot wound, the one he gained from their recent heist that landed them at the safe house. It’s stitched up, healing properly, nothing Ryan couldn’t handle in the end. “I was, but they didn’t catch us. I’m still here.”

Jeremy shakes his head, panicked. “I know you were shot, Ry. You never got back up in my dream, though. You, you can’t survive a shot to the head.” His eyes are glassy, filled with unshed tears as he releases another shuddering sigh. 

It’s surprising, that something such as Ryan’s death could affect him like this. Sure, the Fakes were a family, they cared for each other more than anything. This is the first time, however, that Ryan has heard about his death really hurting one of them, and with it being Jeremy, it hurts a little bit more. 

Unsure of what to say, Ryan simply takes Jeremy into his arms for a comforting hug, allowing the man to bury his face into Ryan’s neck and breath deeply, soaking Ryan’s neck in tears. 

Ryan doesn’t remember falling asleep like that, with Jeremy curled into him with Ryan’s arms protectively wrapped around him. All he knows is that Jeremy was comfortable there, and so was Ryan. His friend sleeps peacefully, face buried into Ryan’s chest and finally calm. 

Ryan looks at him, gently pressing a comforting kiss to the top of Jeremy’s head, before dozing back off into a dreamless sleep.

2.

“Hey,” Jack’s voice is gentle towards him, her palms held out towards him to stop him from rushing the bedroom where Ryan lies. “He’s going to be okay, you have Larry’s word. Minor burns.”

“Then why can’t I go in there?” Jeremy seethes, glaring at Jack. “If he’s perfectly fine, why am I not allowed in there?”

Jack pinches the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. Jeremy knows she’s just as concerned about Ryan as he is, but he can’t exactly bring himself to care. “He needs rest, okay? The last thing he needs is all of us in there crowding him when he needs to recover.”

Jeremy knows that she’s right, but that doesn’t stop him from pushing Jack aside to throw the door open, ignoring Jack’s frustrated protests. He’s been panicking for hours now, simmering with rage outside of the room awaiting something, anything, and he wasn’t about to let Jack stop him from making sure his best friend wasn’t dead. 

Ryan’s lying on the bed motionless, face bare of his usual skull. Jeremy stops in the doorway, face blank as he analyzes his best friend’s bandages, covering a good part of Ryan’s chest and right side. Jeremy doesn’t want to think about what could be underneath those bandages, what the damage looks like. It makes his stomach turn. 

The only thing giving him a sense of comfort was the rise and fall of Ryan’s chest, indicating that he was alive, that a proximity explosive couldn’t take the Vagabond out that easily. He was going to be fine, just as Jack said. 

It looks weird, standing there simply staring at his best friend. His mother’s voice rings in his head, how staring was rude and that he shouldn’t do it, but he can’t  _help_ it.  The events of the heist are running through his head, how Ryan even came in contact with the explosive boggling him. He needs Ryan to wake up and answer the multiple questions invading his head. 

Instead he sits on the edge of the bed, reaching forward to take Ryan’s hand. He remembers his nightmare a week before at the safe house, Ryan staying there with him all night to assure him that he was alive, he was safe. Now that the rules were reversed, he wasn’t about to abandon his friend. He couldn’t leave Ryan alone, especially not now. 

“You’re an idiot,” Jeremy mumbles to his unconscious friend, thumbs stroking Ryan’s knuckles. “You are gonna be the death of me, you fuck.”

Ryan’s hand is rough, long fingers with small white scars from years of knife twirling. Jeremy’s fingers are a bit thicker, hand smaller in Ryan’s but fitting perfectly regardless. With his free hand Jeremy pushes away a longer piece of hair from Ryan’s face, a soft smile as he does so. 

Ryan’s eyes flutter open at the touch, and he blinks up at Jeremy. 

“Jer?” His voice is hoarse, eyes barely staying open. He wears a soft, sleepy smile, slowly fading as he sinks back into unconsciousness. Yet the tone of his voice when he said Jeremy’s name has his heart skipping, not to mention leaving him feeling confused. 

The sun is coming up outside, sunrise peaking through the curtains of the bedroom to show the first signs of dawn. Jeremy can feel the tiredness of his muscles beginning to take over, which is the excuse he could use if Jack happens to walk in anytime soon. He lies down beside Ryan, wrapping a free arm around Ryan’s middle, careful of the bandages. 

“Come back, okay?” Jeremy whispers, pleadingly, despite knowing Ryan’s asleep and cannot possibly hear Jeremy’s request. With his heart thundering in his chest, he presses a kiss to the slight stubble of Ryan’s jaw. He tries to ignore the swirl of emotions that continue to flood his body in favor of sleep, but the hammering in his chest leaves him awaiting his own tiredness to take over. 

3. 

Ryan is waiting rather impatiently on the cell’s single bed, grumbling to himself when the door to the cell is thrown open, a familiar blur of purple and orange being tossed in with him. 

“Easy, asshole!” Jeremy shouts at the guard, sending a string of spit their direction as the door slams shut once more. “Fucking prick.”

Ryan has experienced quite a bit since joining the Fakes all those years ago, gone through many criminal offenses, but this one has to be the most stupid one to have him put into a cell. He wasn’t even in his usual Vagabond garb, having ditched his face paint and leather jacket for a more casual look as he went out for drinks with some of the crew. 

Public intoxication was more of a Lads thing, yet he was the one sitting here after tossing a beer bottle at a cop car. Pathetic. 

“At least it’s only one night,” he tells Jeremy, trying to not sound as annoyed as he really was. The only reason Jeremy was even in here with him was because he punched the cop for handcuffing Ryan in the first place. If Ryan hadn’t gone for drinks, if he had just stayed back with Geoff maybe and got some rest? “Jack said she’ll be here in the morning to bail us out, Gavin is already working on erasing the offense.”

Jeremy shrugs, removing his purple suit jacket before turning towards Ryan, eyes narrowing once the reality of the situation sets in. The rest of the cell is pretty bare, save for a toilet and a small shelf to place their things. The lone bed in the cell is currently being used by Ryan, with Jeremy eyeing it with cheeks flushed. 

Wouldn’t be the first time they’ve shared a bed, or even the second. Then again, with how narrow the bed was, it certainly would be a different situation at hand. It makes Ryan’s palms sweat just thinking of the close proximity between them, given the fact that he was sure neither of them would be able to fit if only one of them took the bed. 

However, Ryan could see just how exhausted Jeremy was. They had already gone through questioning, the police having a field day when they recognized Jeremy in his Rimmy Tim garb. It could have been worse really, if Jeremy was placed in a separate cell. Ryan should consider himself lucky. 

“Hey,” Ryan says eventually, wiping his sweating palms on his jeans. “I can sleep on the floor, yeah? I might need to borrow your jacket as a pillow, but the ground doesn’t look too bad.”

Jeremy raises an eyebrow at his partner, rolling his eyes. “I am not going to make you sleep on the floor. It’s  _filthy._ It’s only one night, just until Jack bails us out in the morning. We can share.”

Before Ryan can protest, Jeremy is toeing off his shoes and peeling off his yellow jeans, left in his boxers and orange shirt before turning back towards Ryan, who has to turn his head away quickly to hide the growing blush turning his face a deep red.  

Jeremy shuffles underneath the thin blanket, Ryan pulling off his own shoes and jeans and adjusting himself to have Jeremy tuck almost perfectly into his embrace. A perfect spoon, though Ryan tried his best not to think of it that way. 

“Can’t believe you wanted to sleep on the floor,” Jeremy snorts, adjusting his head onto the pillow. “Imagine how many of the Los Santos population has pissed on it. You could catch something.”

“That’s true,” Ryan agrees, heart hammering in his ears as Jeremy’s body heat radiates against his own. “Last thing I need is, uh, getting ill.” He hesitates, slowly wrapping an arm around Jeremy’s middle and keeping him close to him, though he tries telling himself it’s simply because it’s cold within the cell. Maybe he should have left his pants on, despite how uncomfortable sleeping in his jeans would be. 

He lies awake longer than he wants to, Jeremy’s soft snores the only sound within the cell and he wonders how he’s supposed to even try to sleep with Jeremy up against him, their skin touching and making Ryan’s heart hammer against his chest. Part of him even wonders what would happen if he were to turn Jeremy around, and in spite of himself, kiss him goodnight. 

4.

The night before Ryan leaves for Liberty City is quiet. 

The crew decided to prepare a large dinner to bid him farewell, a strange celebration of sorts. Geoff was the one who came up with the idea, insisting it was the least he could do since they could not accompany him. The entire ordeal was between Ryan a former business partner of the fakes, one who insisted the Vagabond come alone to discuss important matters regarding territory lines. 

While the rest of the crew acts merry in the dining room, Ryan stands out on the balcony of his bedroom wondering if they know the truth of the meeting. He knows his crew is smart, knows that they are aware that he is dealing with Liberty City’s most ruthless. They must know Ryan might not make it back. 

He tosses back what remains of his Diet Coke, crushing the can in his hands as a figure comes up from behind him, moving until he’s standing beside Ryan and leaning against the railing of the balcony, staring out towards Los Santos. 

“I wanted to come say goodbye,” Jeremy tells him, Ryan staring at him in surprise. He’s not wearing his usual Rimmy get up, instead wearing a black wife beater and his sweatpants. It’s the most casual Ryan has ever seen Jeremy in some time. He tries to store it away in his memory, just in case. 

“Goodbye, Dooley,” he says, trying to sound detached but failing. It’s hard to act such a way towards Jeremy, especially now. 

Jeremy picks up on it. “Don’t,” he tells him, voice shaking. “Don’t call me by my last name. Not this time.” He moves to place his hand against Ryan’s arm, making Ryan flinch as Jeremy’s warm palm rests against Ryan’s cool skin. “I’m not Dooley, not to you.”

Ryan leans closer to Jeremy, almost instinctively. They are only a few, mere inches from each other, Ryan damn sure his knees might just buckled underneath him. “I’ve never been ‘Dooley’ to you, Ry. Tell me goodbye again, but use my  _name._ Just in case,” he stops, but Ryan knows what he wants to say.  _In case I never see you again._

Ryan swallows. “Goodbye, Jeremy.”

Jeremy falls into his chest, resting his head under Ryan’s chin. While Ryan’s slightly startled by the sudden movement, he doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Jeremy and hold him tight to him. Who knows when he would be able to again. 

“I’m never going to see you again,” Jeremy says flatly, into Ryan’s chest.  It isn’t a question. 

Ryan doesn’t want to lie, especially not to Jeremy.  “No,” he confirms. “You won’t.”

It hurts even worse saying it out loud. He’s been known for so long as the almighty Vagabond, practically indestructible by all means. He could tear someone limb from limb if he had the proper motivation, was a force to be reckoned with either with his crew by his side or without. However, this was Liberty City’s finest he was up against, a crew that even Geoff didn’t feel confident going up against. 

But someone had to negotiate with them, someone strong enough to fight their way out if they had to. Ryan had volunteered. He chose his fate. 

“Then let me give you something to remember me by.”

Jeremy stretches up on his tiptoes and presses a kiss to Ryan’s mouth, a hand to the back of Ryan’s neck to guide him down. Ryan grunts against Jeremy’s lips - a mix of surprise and pleasure. 

“Don’t push my away tonight,” Jeremy asks, their foreheads resting together as Ryan tries to catch his breath. “Please, just, if this is our last night together, let me show you how much I need you to come back to me.”

There is no need to argue on Ryan’s end as he pulls Jeremy back in, kissing Jeremy fiercely. Jeremy wraps his arms around Ryan’s neck, tracing his bottom lip with his tongue and sucking it gently into his mouth. 

Ryan’s not entirely sure what to do with his hands, simply allowing them to roam Jeremy’s body; his spine, backside, until finally he reaches Jeremy’s thighs. He pulls the man up, wanting him closer, so much  _closer._ Jeremy reacts easily, wrapping his legs around Ryan’s waist and allowing the man to lead him back into the penthouse, closing the balcony doors behind them. 

                                                          ***

Jeremy wakes the next morning in Ryan’s arms, flush with pleasure and comfortable in the man’s embrace. He moves to face Ryan, who is already awake and looking at Jeremy with sadness in his eyes that has Jeremy’s heart aching. 

“Why does it have to be you?” He asks, burrowing further into Ryan’s arms. “Why do you have to be the one to deal with them? Why can’t you stay?”

“Jer,” Ryan says, voice pained. “They have been threatening us for too long. Someone has to put them in their place.”

“Then why can’t you bring back up?” Jeremy insists, cupping Ryan’s face in his hands. “It’s stupid that you go alone, Geoff is stupid for making the plan in the first place. You know I’m right, Ryan.”

He is. “I just want to protect my family. If that means risking my life to do it, I’m willing to do it.” He leans forward, pressing a soft, feathery kiss to Jeremy’s lips. “I love you too much to let them continue to hurt us.”

Jeremy sighs against Ryan’s lips, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he whispers, “I love you too.”

                                                         ***

Ryan leaves within the hour. Jeremy doesn’t leave the bed until long after Ryan’s gone. 

 

5.

Ryan hasn’t had much sleep since returning from Liberty City, which is why it takes him a minute to realize that someone is trying to wake him up. Part of him wants to ignore them, tell the person to fuck off and let him sleep after what was an excruciating few days. 

He knows exactly who it is trying to wake him up, though, which is why he simply rolls over and says, “Morning.” 

Jeremy looks at him with a glimmer in his eye, a soft smile on his lips as he wraps his arms around Ryan’s waist and settles his head into Ryan’s chest. Ever since Ryan returned from Liberty City in one piece, Jeremy has yet to leave his side. Not that Ryan was complaining, of course. Having survived his encounter in Liberty City left him never wanting to leave Jeremy either. 

However, he knows Jeremy wouldn’t wake him up without a good reason. 

“It’s time, isn’t it?” Ryan asks. Jeremy simply presses a kiss against his jaw, peppering them all the way to Ryan’s lips. 

“Unfortunately,” Jeremy sighs, nuzzling his nose against Ryan’s. “I’m pretty sure they won’t hesitate to leave without us.”

Ryan almost wants them to. Leave them behind, give him the whole day with Jeremy in their now shared bed to do nothing but hold each other, make up for the time Ryan was gone. It’s the least Geoff could do for sending Ryan alone. 

He doesn’t though. Instead he pulls the covers off and walks towards his closet. He can hear Jeremy shuffling out the bed as well, following him into the closet and wrapping his arms around Ryan from behind, pressing a kiss between Ryan’s shoulder blades. “I call dibs on shower.”

Ryan’s body shakes with laughter, the man grabbing at his swim trunks from one of the drawers and holding them in his hand. He turns around in Jeremy’s embrace, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “How about we conserve water?”

Jeremy wrinkles his nose, snorting. “You dork.”

It’s not a no, especially since Jeremy is tugging Ryan’s hand to pull him towards the bathroom. Besides, it certainly helps them make up for the time lost while Ryan was gone. 

***

“Thanks to Ryan, we no longer have the threat of Liberty City hanging over us,” Geoff concludes, earning cheers from the crew as they all lounge around the hot tub. Jeremy can’t help but curl further into Ryan’s side, kissing his cheek and making the older man blush slightly. “Which is why I have gathered us all here, on the Fake AH Bang Boat, to celebrate.”

Everyone groans as Geoff says the name, causing the Kingpin to frown. “Don’t you fuckers dare convince me you haven’t brought someone out here, alright?”

“I’ve missed this,” Ryan mumbles, only loud enough for Jeremy to hear. “Going to Liberty City made me realize how much I hate being alone, doing everything alone. I’d rather have a crew by my side.” He keeps an arm around Jeremy, fingers tracing the tattoo on his left arm. 

“Good,” Jeremy says, simply. “I’m not sure I ever want you to go alone anyway. You’d have to try real hard to get rid of me now, Haywood.” 

There’s always the risk of dating within the crew, especially during heists. Worrying about your partner not making it, doing something stupid and risky that their lives are placed on the line was always a constant threat. There was even the chance they could get nabbed at anytime by some rival crew to be tortured. None of that mattered, however. At least, not now. 

“I’m willing to fight for you,” Ryan confirms, sealing his word with a kiss. He can hear the rest of the crew taunt and tease them, making him raise his free hand to give them the finger. “No matter what.”

Jeremy likes the sound of that. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one time Ryan and Jeremy don't share a bed.

Steffie says that Jeremy is extremely lucky. Michael tells him that if Jeremy had been a few feet closer the explosion would have blown him to pieces. 

Every member of the crew has told Ryan multiple different things he should be grateful in terms of their failed hit, but none of them have managed to ease his mind. It didn’t matter that things had been going perfectly, that one asshole got lucky and escaped to the roof of the warehouse with a detonator. Nothing changes the fact that the unexpected bomb went off in the warehouse and sent Jeremy flying. 

No one’s words could change the fact that Jeremy was currently three hours into surgery and there wasn’t a single update that his boyfriend was going to be okay. Steffie had informed the crew that Ryan wasn’t allowed anywhere near the medical bay, but if she had any updates that they contact Ryan before anyone else. 

Three hours of silence was the least reassuring thing. 

He’s fallen asleep on the ground, across the hall from their medical bay, when a gentle hand touches his shoulder and shakes him awake. He jumps up immediately, looking towards the door. “Is he okay?” he asks. 

Gavin grins at him. “Yeah, he’s good. Steffie says let him sleep, though. Figured you want to sleep in your own bed.”

Ryan shakes his head, already heading towards the medical bay door to see Jeremy himself. Not that he doesn’t trust Gavin’s word, of course, but he has to see for himself, has to look at Jeremy himself to know for sure that his boyfriend is alive and breathing. 

A hand grips his arm before he can reach for the door knob, and he turns to see Jack glaring at him with an icy glare. “Don’t you dare wake him up. Go. To. Bed.”

“I can sleep in there with him,” Ryan gives his own deathly glare back at his friend, despite knowing she is only trying to help. “Please, I need him to know I’m here when he wakes up, I need him to know....”

Jack sighs, pulling Ryan’s arm and leading him away from the door and towards the bedroom he shares with Jeremy, pushing him onto the bed before cupping his face in her hands. “I know how much you love him, Rye, we all do. We all want to have him pull through, and Steffie has made sure of that. Right now though, he needs to relax. He’s been through a lot, as have you.” She kisses Ryan’s forehead, pushing him down until he’s resting against a pillow. “Sleep. I’ll come get you if he asks for you.”

Ryan doesn’t know if he can sleep, not without Jeremy. They’ve been sharing a bed for so long now, since Liberty City all those months back. Having Jeremy beside him has kept him from sleepless nights and given Jeremy someone to ease the endless nightmares that riddle him. 

What if Jeremy had a nightmare and Ryan wasn’t there? How was Ryan supposed to sleep when the stress of Jeremy’s health was flooding him?

Pushing worries aside the past he can, he shuts his eyes and wills himself to sleep. 

*

Once again, a gentle hand rests on Ryan’s shoulder to wake him up. 

“He’s asking for you,” Jack tells him, not even having a moment to move out of the way before Ryan is darting out of the bed, racing down the hallway and yanking the door of the medical bay wide open. 

Jeremy stares at him with wide eyes, startled by the door slamming against the wall. Ryan doesn’t even give Jeremy a chance to say a word before he steps towards him and presses his lips against Jeremy’s with urgency. Jeremy immediately reacts, hands holding Ryan’s face as Ryan continues to press various kisses around Jeremy’s face. 

“I was so fucking worried about you,” Ryan says between kisses, pressing a final one to Jeremy’s lips before resting his forehead against his boyfriend’s. “You nearly fucking  _died,_ I swear to God if I had lost you on that fucking hit I would have..”

“I know,” Jeremy whispers, kissing Ryan again. “I know.”

He doesn’t want to risk hurting Jeremy by curling onto the small medical bed with him, so instead he grabs a chair and pulls it as close to the bed as possible. He keeps Jeremy’s hand in his, pressing gentle kisses to his knuckles all the while watching as Jeremy falls asleep once more. 

With his mind at ease, and Jeremy close by, Ryan finds himself falling asleep too. 


End file.
